Open a site, tilt your desk chair back, and watch the news from a variety of sources. That’s the idea behind TiltView, a site which aims to replace cable news channels for people who don’t pay for cable. It’s TV, Internet style.

Including content from Al Jazeera, France24, The Associated Press and many more, TiltView doesn’t just bring you the news; it brings you the news from a wide variety of international viewpoints and perspectives. More channels are being added so keep checking this site to stay informed.

There is, happily, not a heck of a lot else here. Just like when you’re watching TV.

While writing this article I noticed videos from the following sources:

Al Jazeera (Qatar/Middle East regional).

Associated Press (USA).

Deutsche Welle (Germany).

France 24 (France).

Euronews.

RT (Russia).

TenNews (Australia).

This is just what I managed to note during a few hours of viewing; there may well be sources I’ve missed. No complete list is provided, sadly. Feel free to point out any other sources you noticed in the comments below.

One disappointment is that there’s no way to preview the playlist or filter out particular sources from the stream of news. This isn’t a big deal, though, and would perhaps detract from the simplicity of this web app if it was offered.

Find The Videos On YouTube

Want to share a video you’ve found with your friend? You’ll probably notice that the Twitter and Facebook buttons on this site don’t really do that. Don’t worry; you can still share. Just take a look at the URL:

The

http://tiltview.com/

bit of this URL makes sense, of course; it’s the site you’re using. The code after may make less sense, but don’t panic: it’s easy to understand.

The first three characters,

#yt

, are pointing out that the video is from YouTube. The characters after this are unique identifiers for the video. Google these characters and you’ll find a Tweetable video link:

Even better – add the unique identifier to

www.youtube.com/watch?v=

and you’ll be taken straight to the video. A quicker way to share videos would be nice, but at least it’s possible.

Why This Is Cool

With all the places to get news out there, why does TiltView stand out? For me it’s two reasons – simplicity and a variety of sources.

I don’t think TiltView will suffer a similar fate anytime soon. Its design, based on embedded videos from other sites, doesn’t cost a lot to maintain. So long as news sites keep uploading sites to YouTube or offering embedding code, TiltView will keep having videos to aggregate.

I want to know what you think. Is TiltView cool? Do you think this will be a good news replacement for you, or will you stick to specific streams? Let us know in the comments below.

Justin Pot is a technology journalist based in Portland, Oregon. He loves technology, people and nature – and tries to enjoy all three whenever possible. You can chat with Justin on Twitter, right now.